The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 2 eBook

of imbeciles! Hear now the words which I say
and which thou art to repeat unto the inaccessible
Suyodhana in the midst of all the Kshatriyas and in
the hearing of the Suta’s son and the wicked-hearted
Sakuni. We always seek to gratify our elder brother!
It was for this, O thou of wicked behaviour, that
we tolerated thy acts. Dost thou not regard this
as highly fortunate for thee? It was for only
the good of our race that king Yudhishthira the Just,
endued with great intelligence, sent Hrishikesa to
the Kurus for bringing about a peace! Impelled
by Fate, without doubt, thou art desirous of repairing
unto Yama’s abode! Come, fight with us.
That, however, is certainly to take place tomorrow!
I have, indeed, vowed to slay thee with thy brothers!
O sinful fool, do not entertain the slightest doubt,
for it will be as I have vowed! The very ocean,
the abode of Varuna-may all on a sudden transgress
its continents. The very mountains may split,
yet my words can never be false! If Yama himself,
or Kuvera, or Rudra, assisteth thee, the Pandavas
will still accomplish what they have vowed! I
shall certainly drink Dussasana’s blood according
to my pleasure! And I also vow that Kshatriya
whatsoever may then angrily approach me, even if he
cometh with Bhishma himself at the van, I will send
him to Yama’s abode! That which I have said
in the midst of a Kshatriya assembly will certainly
be true. I swear this by my soul!

’Hearing these words of Bhimasena, the wrathful
Sahadeva also, with eyes red in anger, said these
words in the presence of the (assembled) troops,—­words
that become that proud hero. And he said, ’Listen,
O sinful one, to the words I utter and which must
be repeated to thy father! A difference would
never have arisen between us and the Kurus, if Dhritarashtra
had no relationship with thee! Of sinful acts
and the exterminator of thy own race, thou hast been
born as an embodiment of quarrel for the destruction
of the whole world as also for the destruction of
Dhritarashtra’s race! From our very birth,
O Uluka, that sinful father of thine hath always sought
to do us injury and evil. I desire to attain
the opposite shore of that hostile relation. Slaying
thee first before the very eyes of Sakuni, I shall
then slay Sakuni himself in the sight of all bowmen!’

’Hearing these words of both Bhima and Sahadeva,
Falguni smilingly addressed Bhima, saying, ’O
Bhimasena, they that have provoked hostilities with
thee, cannot live! Though they may dwell happily
in their homes, those fools become yet entangled in
the meshes of death! O best of men, Uluka doth
not deserve to be addressed harshly by thee! What
fault do envoys commit, repeating as they only do what
they are instructed (to say)?’ And having thus
addressed Bhima of terrible prowess that mighty-armed
hero then addressed his heroic allies and well-wishers
headed by Dhrishtadyumna, saying, ’Ye have heard
the words of the sinful son of Dhritarashtra in dispraise